Handle attachment for bag containers



Aug. 30, 1955 S. R. WESTON HANDLE ATTACHMENT FOR BAG CONTAINERS Filed June 24, 1952 INVEN TOR. sYDNEY Qweswou United States Patent() HANDLE ATTACHMENT FOR BAG CONTAINERS Sydney R. Weston, Washington, D. C.

Application June 24, 1952, Serial No. 295,245

1 Claim. (Cl. 224-45) The present invention relates to a handle attachment for bag containers, and more particularly, has reference to a carrying handle for the ordinary paper bag, which handle can be attached to the folded upper end of the bag for the purpose of facilitating the transportation of the same.

It will be readily appreciated that it is quite inconvenient to carry bag containers in the arms, and heretofore, carrying handles have been proposed, intended for attachment to the upper ends of containers of the type stated. However, in many instances, handle attachments of this type have been too complicated to permit their manufacture at a cost sufi'iciently low to warrant the production in quantity thereof. Additionally, in other instances the handle attachments previously devised, of which I have knowledge, have not been attachable to or detachable from a folded bag end with desirable ease and speed. In still other instances, it has been noted that the handle attachments, when associated with a folded bag end, have been incapable of gripping the same with sulficient strength to guarantee that the handle and bag will not become separated.

The main objects of the present invention are as follows:

First, the provision of a handle attachment of the character referred to which can be attached to or removed from a folded bag end with maximum speed and facility;

Second, the provision of a handle attachment that can be manufactured in quantity at low cost, the attachment constituting the present invention being formed from readily shaped, inexpensive materials so formed as to be capable of assembly with one another with little difficulty;

Third, the provision of an attachment as stated having an improved locking means, whereby the attachment will be quickly and effectively placed in a strong clamping relationship to the bag end gripped thereby;

Fourth, the provision of a handle attachment that will be rugged and usable over an indefinite period of time; and

Fifth, the provision of'a handle attachment as stated that can be used with any of a large number of bag containers of different sizes.

Summarized briefly, the invention includes a generally U-shaped bail the bight of which is adapted to extend along one side of a folded bag end. At the opposite ends of the bail there are provided substantially parallel, upwardly extending legs, the legs being folded upon themselves adjacent their connection to the opposite ends of the bight, to define slots adapted to receive the folded bag end along which the bight extends. At the upper ends of the legs spring coils are formed, said coils being integral with locking arms that extend approximately longitudinally of the legs and are provided, at their lower ends, with pointed fingers adapted to engage the other side of the folded bag end and cause the bag end to be effectively gripped between the bight and fingers, under pressure exerted by the spring coils. A

2,716 ,5 l 6 Patented Aug. 30, 1955 tubular handle extends between the spring coils in approximately parallel relation to the bight, the handle being provided with a support rod the opposite ends of which project beyond the ends of the handle and are looped through the spring coils.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claim appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view in which an engaged bag container is illustrated fragmentarily, the handle attachment constituting the present invention being illustrated in operative association with said container;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective View of the handle attachment per se; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure l.

The handle attachment constituting the present invention includes three main parts, said parts comprising a handle designated generally by the reference numeral 10, an approximately U-shaped bail designated generally by the reference numeral 12, and a handle support rod designated generally by the reference numeral 14.

The bail 12 will be first described, and as may be noted from the drawings, said bail is integrally formed from a single piece of stout spring wire material the medial portion of which is formed straight to define a bight 16.

Integral with the opposite ends of the bight are upwardly extending, substantially parallel legs, eachleg being formed to a J shape to provide a short leg portion 18 and a long leg portion 20. The short leg portion and long leg portion of each leg are spaced apart to define, at each end of the bight 16, a slot 22 open'at its upper end for a purpose to be made presently apparent.

As will be noted, the short and long leg portions are integrally connected to one another at one end thereof to close the lower ends of the slots 22. At the other ends of the short leg portions, said short leg portions are integrally connected to the respective ends of the bight 16.

At the other ends of the long leg portions, spring coils 24 are formed, said coils merging into locking arms 26 that are extended'approximately longitudinally of the respective legs. The locking arms 26, as will be noted from Figures 2 and 3, are formed at their lower, free ends, with angularly extended, pointed fingers 28. The spring coils 24 are so tensioned as to urge the fingers 28 in the direction of the bight 16. p

The handle 10 will now be described, and as will be noted, said handle is formed from a single piece of tubular stock, such as wood or plastic.

Considering the construction of the support rod 14, said rod is formed from a single piece of wire material having an elongated, straight intermediate portion 30 extending through the bore of the handle 10, the opposite ends of said intermediate portion projecting beyond the opposite ends of the tubular handle and being formed with loops 32 receiving the spring coils 24.

A conventional bag container has been designated generally by the reference numeral 34, and in use of the device, the upper end of the bag container is folded upon itself a plurality of times, so that the opposite sides 36 of the bag container will be shaped into a folded portion 38 at the upper end of the container (Figure 3).

Said folded portion 38 is turned downwardly at one side of the bag container, and is extended into the slots 22, so that the bight 16 is extended in longitudinal contact with the inner side surface of the folded portion and provides a support member for the container proper.

During the insertion of the folded portion 38 in the slots 22, the spring fingers 28 are manually held out of engagement with said folded portion, being urged manually to the left in Figure 3 against the action of the folded portion, but" willurge said folded. portion against thebight 16, thus to effectively clampthe folded .bag

end between the fingers 23 and bight 16.

The bag container 34 can now be readilycarried, and

at such time as it is desired to remove the handle attachment and open the bag container, it is merely neces-.

sarythat the locking arms 26 be urged to the left. in Figure 3, once again, for the purpose of permitting the removal ofthe folded bag. end from the slots 22..

It is. believed to be an important characteristic of the invention that the device canv be manufactured-at relatively. low cost, from a few pieces. of inexpensive material capable of being assembled with one another in a mini:

mum amount of time. The device, accordingly, lends itself to quantity production, it being essential thata device of this type be capable of manufacture in quantity and at very low cost.

Additionally, the handle attachment, though inexpensively constructed, is nevertheless so formed as to effectively grip a folded bag end. Still further, it is important to note that the attachment can be applied to or removed from the folded bag end with maximum speed and case.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any. purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A handleattachment for a bag containercomprising a spring wire bent to form a straight bight at its medial portion, a downwardly extending short leg portion connected at each end of said bight, a long leg portion connected to each short leg portion at its end remote from said bight, said long leg portion being upwardly extending to form with said short leg portion a slot open upwardly and longitudinally disposed relative to said bight, each of said long leg portions being bent on itself to form a coil at its upper end remote from said slot, a locking arm integral with and connected at its upper end to said coil and being disposed downwardly substantially longitudinally with said long leg portion, each of said locking arms so formed being biased by said coil toward said bight and normally meeting said bight at a point inwardly from and adjacent to its connection with said short leg portions, each of said locking arms terminating in an angularly pointed finger bent toward said bight and being adapted and arranged to penetrate the foldedover upper endof a bag container having its folded-over portion received in said slotsv at each. .endof said bight r and being supported by said bightin the groove formed by the folded-over portion and the remainder of the said long leg portions including a straight wire formedwith a loop at each end, each of said loops loosely engaging one of said coils for support thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,576,259 McGuire Nov. 27, 1951 Klein July 22, ,1947 

